


Brick By Brick

by erini



Series: BAD END [3]
Category: Dangan Ronpa - All Media Types, Dangan Ronpa 3: The End of 希望ヶ峰学園 | The End of Kibougamine Gakuen | End of Hope's Peak High School, Super Dangan Ronpa 2
Genre: Mentions of Junko Enoshima, Non-Graphic Violence, Reader-Insert, SHSL Despair - Freeform, Ultimate Despair!Reader, i seriously dont know how to tag, spoilers for Ultra Despair Girls, ultimate despair
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-15
Updated: 2020-10-15
Packaged: 2021-03-08 04:41:46
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,784
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26909821
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/erini/pseuds/erini
Summary: At the end of the world, you could only find oblivion and boredom. Neither was a good choice until a visitor offers a third way out.
Relationships: Izuru Kamukura & Reader
Series: BAD END [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1987495
Comments: 1
Kudos: 9





	Brick By Brick

You're bored. 

You're bored. You're bored. You're bored. You're bored. You're bor—

"Ughhhh!!! What the hell?!" you screamed, head slamming painfully against your desk. The force of your impact wasn’t enough for serious injury, leaving only a dull throbbing pain. It was _just_ enough stimulation to break out of your restlessness if only for just a short moment. 

"I thought this would be the next level of entertainment! Totally original! For fuck's sake, this is the end of the world!" you yelled in frustration, voice bouncing off the walls. “So! Why! Is! It! So! Boooooorring!” Each word was punctuated with a kick in the air and a groan like a petulant child. 

After a few moments of whining, you felt calmer yet your irritation hasn't died. You pushed your heels against the cement, believing that spinning around would make you feel better. If the world melted away into a blur of colors, if it just died down for one second, you could gather yourself.

The office chair spun, the air rushing in your ears.

Your was a poor excuse of a chair, barely usable with no lumbar support. Even your office was shabby. In the back of the warehouse you carved yourself an office, similar to how your dorm room was during your student days yet much more bare and desolate. Divided by a black curtain, the front of the warehouse was occupied by your production crew, who were robotically working on props and readying actors for your films. Once, you would have been delighted to be near the sea yet with the water pollution it only served to be a bitter reminder of the boring, dying outside world. 

Lost in the spinning world of colors and sound, you barely registered the shuffle of the dark curtain that separated your office and the front of the warehouse. 

You firmly planted your feet against the ground, forcing your chair to a stand still. Even with your eyes spinning and head pounding, you could see who was at your office entrance. The person who slowly entered your office was a man, completely unremarkable in appearance except for the Monokuma helmet he donned. He was one of your many disposable assets, either brainwashed by the Monokuma helmet or someone that wore it out of dedication to despair. If he wasn't wearing that helmet, you would have dismissed him as someone that stumbled on the wrong place owned by the wrong person. 

He was just a face in the crowd, a nobody. 

"Miss [name], there's—"

Before he can finish his sentence, he was cut off by a familiar voice, one so utterly void of anything that it made a deep impression in your mind. Despite the voice being so mute in volume and tone, it reverberated through the air like a death knell. 

"Get out of the way." 

You watched as your minion was pulled away, the force of the gesture sending him flying through the dark curtain. From your seat, you could hear his body cut through the air before he slammed against the wall and slid downwards onto the floor, crying out in pain. In spite of the casualness of how he was pulled away, you could tell that your lackey had a few broken bones. 

The moment you heard your visitor speak, you could immediately discern who he was. ' _Great, I don't think he’s the type to pay for property damage,_ ' you thought distastefully, trying to get your head back in order. 

When he fully stepped into the room, you frowned. "Wonderful, the boss is here," you muttered under your breath, gaze now fully focused on the man before you.

The signature messy dark hair, how unnaturally and uncaring it hung over his frame, was enough to make you feel on edge. Paired with a prim and proper black suit, Izuru Kamukura stood in your office in all his apathetic glory.

"Rather than wasting my time like a _child_ ," he said, punctuating his last word. "Use the helmet to properly train your soldiers. That's the purpose for the Mechanic's device."

You ‘tsk’ed. He must have heard your little temper tantrum.

"…Fine," you huffed. "Maybe next time."

You stood up, but did not approach Izuru. He made you uncomfortable, so on edge that you don't think you could stand sitting in his presence. Besides being a person above yourself and just below Junko, Izuru was an influential person among the Ultimate Despairs despite existing on the fringes of it. During the few times you met with the man, you couldn't place him on the side of despair nor the side of hope. 

To you, Izuru wasn't human. He just looked human. Izuru didn't have that spark that made people people. There was no humanity in his actions and appearance, no raw emotions, no irrationality, no contradictions. 

Despite Izuru's title as the Ultimate Hope, Junko had full confidence in him. So, it was only natural that he was treated and seen as a leader of the Remnants after Junko’s death.

In the glory days, Izuru was close to Junko. _Kind of_. They had a strange relationship, formed by their similarities...you think. All you had were conjectures about the two and it made your head ache when you tried to think about it. Those two were on a different level of existing, so you gave up on trying to understand either of them a long time ago. 

"Long time no see, Izuru. The last time I heard from you was when you defaced America as a nation. How was that?" you asked, a futile attempt in small talk. It was like discussing a higher being about the weather. Even knowing that it was meaningless to talk, your worthless attempt to chat with Izuru was merely a charade of composure. You just had to be careful when dealing with the boss. Because you didn't trust him.

“It was boring,” he stated and you had to mentally kick yourself over expecting a different answer. “The American social structure and economy was on the verge of collapse, anyways. It wasn’t difficult. Just a few well-timed riots in certain places and the nation crumpled into anarchy.” 

“Kinda sounds like the Purge.”

He stepped forwards. “I’m not here for worthless conversation, Director,” he said to you, immediately taking hold of the conversation before you did. With a resigned motion, Izuru dug into his breast pocket and pulled out a flash-drive, half white and half black. Your face pinched together in irritation, eyes squinting as if to make the offensive object disappear. You were getting _real_ tired of monochrome patterns by now.

"This is the Junko Enoshima Alter Ego I scavenged from Towa City," he stated simply, holding the flash-drive in the dim light. “Unlike before, _I_ will be the one to use her for my own game." 

' _He thinks it's boring to provide an explanation. Oh, well. I have to fill in the blanks myself_ ,' you resolved, fishing around in your mind for a plausible answer. Towa City, an artificial island city that resisted the eroding ties of despair, was located near southern Japan. There was something odd about that place as it stood tall in the face of The Tragedy. Even with its scientific advancements, it should have still crumbled; however, Fuyuhiko told you to leave the town alone for some reason. So, you did. You didn't want to make Boss Baby mad.

The only recent news about Towa City were the ongoing riots that began one day, making it almost impossible to enter or leave the island unless you were Future Foundation. It was strange that they didn’t just rush in to suppress the riots, so you had to guess there was a reason why they wouldn’t go in. There were rumors about a Remnant making their way to the distant island, yet you weren't able to confirm who exactly. You would have guessed that it would be Izuru, but the destructive effects of the riots told you another story. 

A hint of disappointment went through you. 

If only the situation became worse, if only the flames of conflict were just a little bit hotter, if only the despair in that city was a little more deeper.

You would have gone to Towa City and had a _little_ fun yourself. 

You had the idea he wanted to insert the AI into some program and the answer on the tip of your tongue. Even so, there was still a disconnect between your train of thought and the answer. ' _…From what I've seen of the Killing Game, I know that Alter Egos are strong AI's. In the wrong hands, they could do a lot of damage. But, I still don't understand the whole picture_ ,' you thought, casting the dark haired man a glance.

Izuru rolled his eyes. Despite all that time to think, you _still_ needed an explanation. Nevertheless, if you were going to understand his plan, Izuru would have to _stoop down to your level_.

"This AI will be used in the Neo World Program in order to start a new killing game with the other Ultimate Despairs. Or more specifically, your former classmates," he said, knowing that tidbit of information would get you going. 

The news shot your through the heart, causing you to jolt in your seat as eyes lit up like Christmas lights. You gazed up at Izuru Kamukura like he was Santa Claus and was giving you the present that you asked for every year. It made for a funny thought: Izuru in a big red suit, white beard, handing you a _—_

"Stop being a fool, Director. Be serious," Izuru cuts in, causing you to pout. He just read your thoughts! That's got to be a violation of your right to privacy! 

You stamped your feet, cheeks puffing out in annoyance. "You stop!" 

He decided that he wouldn't even grace you with a retort. "The mole in the Future Foundation stated that the Neo World Program is in its experimental stage," Izuru continued calmly. "This is the opportune time to relieve boredom.""

You lit up, irritation disappearing instantly. "Whoa, a killing game?! For Ultimate Despairs?! How..." you exclaimed with childish excitement, fists pumping into the air. "How...! How...!" 

A sickening grin formed on your face, cheeks flushed a rosey pink. "...How despairing!" 

' _So simple-minded_ ,' Izuru thought to himself. ' _As expected, for someone like [name] [surname] to be baited with this—_ ' 

"...Is what you think I'd say, right?" you cut in, turning a cold gaze towards him. Giddiness lost, your expression turned hard and serious. "I won't fall for your bait so easily, Izuru." 

A beat of silence. "Oh?" 

"What are you really doing this for?" you asked him, voice no longer joyful. At the drop of a hat, you had become the cold and cut-throat Remnant that you were known to be, knowing the fine line between business and pleasure. Your strict gaze looked as if you finally figured out Izuru Kamukura (you definitely **did not** have Izuru Kamukura figured out).

"I had a feeling you were bored of the Tragedy too. The deaths of millions of strangers don't interest you at all!” you stated to Izuru with an unsettling smile, one that showed too much teeth. “You're not doing this for despair despite your loyalty to Junko. You've never cared about despair or hope, actually. So, why are you _really_ here?"

He stared down at you, red eyes analyzing you with a predatory gaze. Stomach churning, you fought your fight or flight instincts. Instead, you stood your ground, trying to be as steady as you could be under Izuru's heavy gaze. 

Heavy silence overtook the room, Izuru gauging your worlds. In all honesty, you were invested with Izuru's offer, tempted to just say agree immediately. But, the rational part of your mind wanted to know what you were getting into. Regardless of the famed mental instability that marked one as Ultimate Despair, you were still quite...stable, in a sense. Unless you had complete control over the situation, there was no way you were going to put yourself in a compromising position. 

Satisfied over his short analysis (you didn't trust him. How boring), Izuru decided that omission was a necessary evil, in this case. As long as your curiosity was sated, Izuru knew he could get you into the game. If he was going to convince the other Ultimate Despairs, Izuru was prepared to use any means necessary to do so.

"This killing game will be a test of which is worth my time: hope or despair."

You weren't surprised at his answer. Similar to Nagito, Izuru was always more or less like a wild-card that followed his own agenda. "Hope or despair, huh?" you ask rhetorically. "For you to even consider that means you're betraying our cause."

" For there to be betrayal, there needs to be loyalty. And I never cared for Junko nor her cause," he said to you plainly. You snarled, a flare of hot fury erupted from your stomach. 

"You fuckin' asshole...you should be grateful to Junko! If it wasn't for her, you would still be bored back in Hope's Peak!"

The heat spread through to your entire body like a wild fire as Izuru declared his position, spouting how _little_ he cared, how _little_ it mattered to him. Junko Enoshima was your muse whose philosophies you followed. To speak to her like this, to insult, to disrespect your inspiration made it feel as if your insides were boiling, the fire wanting to escape. 

Ignoring your obvious resentment towards him, Izuru continued to speak. You were right. Or at least, partially correct.

"Rest assured, Director," Izuru says to you. "I am still part of Ultimate Despair until this test proves otherwise." 

"Right, this is just temporary for you, huh?" you snapped back, crossing your arms. 

"Despite her death, Ultimate Despair's assault worsens and the Future Foundation continues to fight back. As a result, the world is trapped in a deadlock and became stagnant. Thus, this game will decide whether hope or despair is more unpredictable." 

"A test, huh? How do you know which side passes?" you asked.

He sighed. "As troublesome as Junko was, she did possess the talent as the Ultimate Analyst. She predicted her death and created this Alter Ego. She also expected all of you to execute your roles as devices." 

Anger slipping for a moment, you let your eyes focus on Izuru, weighing his offer. It was puzzling: get rid of boredom with a Killing Game or go along with Izuru's experiment after he just insulted your muse. Moreover, you would never trust Izuru, whose actions were only done for his own amusement. He was dead last on your 'Trust Fall List', right below Nagito actually. 

"Devices?"

He briefly debated if he could just leave right now, predicting that you were going to ask _even_ more questions. This exposition was beginning to outweigh his plan. Why did you have to be the cautious type? 

"Obviously, if you die in the Neo World Program, Junko's Alter Ego will be uploaded into your body in the real world," Izuru explained. "If that occurs, then I would consider it despair's victory. The world yearns for despair as Junko would say."

You blinked owlishly at that information. "So if like twelve of us die, then there's gonna be twelve Junkos in the world…" Face twisting in disgust, you felt queasy at a future where there would be _more_ of her. 

"Ugh, I can't stand one Junko Enoshima, I don't think I can handle more…"

There was another pause from your end before you settled down. "Oh, well. Getting taken over by Junko and becoming my muse doesn't sound too bad," you yielded with a casual shrug. Suddenly, you turned towards Izuru, eyes wide. 

"But, I won't do it. You know what they say about sequels?" you ask him, lips drawing into a sneer. "They're never as good as the first ones. That applies to your killing game." 

Izuru knew that would happen. Despite your desire for despair, your rationality and distrust towards him made you stop. However, there _was_ one trump card that would throw out all your suspicion and doubt right out the window. Izuru needed all the important players if he was going to determine what was worth his time. 

"And if you don't get taken over by her Alter Ego, you may meet your brother again."

Your eyes widened, boring into Izuru. The light had gone out of your eyes at the mention of Hikaru. Slowly, as if peeling layers of skin, your true character as a Remnant of Despair was beginning to show, exposed for Izuru to see.

After leaving the academy shelter, you had lost track of him, gone within the rubble and the fighting. The network of Remnant spies could only do so much when they were fending against the Future Foundation. Even your contacts with cells around the country were useless. It left you in complete despair not to sink your claws into him, not to torture him, not to hurt, not to break, not to—

"Where is he?" 

Izuru observed as you slowly approached him, strides purposeful. It was always interesting to see an Ultimate Despair turn into a monster, a thing that could barely be called human. 

Closing the distance, the layers of your humanity peeled away faster, melting like candle wax. You were becoming less and less human, and more of a monster. Logic and reasoning eroded away and all that was left was an inky darkness that was your true character. In your eyes, Izuru could only see despair, both of your own suffering and millions of others. 

"Where is he? Where is he? Where? Where where where where where where where where where wherewherewherewherewhere?” You pause in your rain of questions, emotions shifting just as your expression did. Up close, Izuru observed how much of a lucid nightmare you became, barely resembling yourself anymore. 

“I…I haven't had the taste of the despair of betraying my brother!” you screamed, eyes wild as grabbed at your hair, scalp reddening from how forcefully you tugged at your roots. Your expression contorting into something strange. Like you wanted to cry yet a smile was crudely drawn by your lips. A fluctuation of conflicting emotions could be seen from that horrible expression, leaving no mark on the person you used to be. The instability of your emotions, the unpredictability of your actions marred you so badly, you didn't appear to be the Ultimate Film Director at all. 

You were just a poor caricature of a human being. 

“I was super-duper-ultra-jealous of Junko when she betrayed Mukuro! What despair she must have felt! The sensation of the sky falling down on you, the Earth swallowing you up!” Suddenly, your hands dropped from your hair before shooting up towards the ceiling, mimicking your words. You grinned, eyes blazing red yet a dreamy dazed expression on your face. 

“No matter how many neighborhoods I burn down no matter how much depravity I film no matter how lives I take, no matter how many riots I start—getting my brother back is the only way I'll die a miserable person!”

Your voice rose to an unnatural pitch, sounding distorted against the warehouse's metal walls. The harsh sound didn't sound human, it was something guttural, savage, angry _hungry_. 

"That was your biggest hope wasn't it?" Izuru asked rhetorically. "The hope of meeting your brother in order to kill him yourself was what kept you alive this long. How boring." 

Your body stiffened, mood shifting again from a bouncing and erratic ball of emotions to something resembling calm. "I may have 150 personalized torture techniques I want to use on him," you say in a clipped tone, tilting your head in an almost adorable manner. "Buuuut I never said that I would _kill_ Hikaru."

He blinked. Now, _that_ was surprising. Your statement was an unexpected ripple that Izuru didn't account for. Truly, that was the reason he chose to be Ultimate Despair: for the unpredictable future that Junko preached so often about. He couldn’t wrap his head around what you wanted to do.

The other Remnants mercilessly slaughtered their families, tasting the deep and bitter despair of killing their flesh and blood. But according to Junko, you were a special exception. 

"Do explain." 

"Wellll, my idiot little brother has always been a kind-hearted person since we were young," you explained, remembering fondly how stupidly kind Hikaru was.

You sighed, recalling a distant memory when he was profusely apologizing after rejecting a girl. He was tempted to give the girl a date, just to spare her from disappointment. In spite of that, Hikaru decided to respect her feelings and calmly rejected her. All in all, it was a confession that ended with respect and kindness. 

It made you want to gag. 

"He would rather kill himself than seriously hurt someone. Soooo…if I force him into despair and become the same as me, won't that just be—ya know! Despair-inducing?" You laugh, and Izuru was generously calling the sound you were making a 'laugh'. It was a wheezing sound that increased in pitch over each passing moment before falling, your laughter slowly ceasing as you held your stomach in pain.

Izuru passively observed your eyes shone an unsettling shade of blood red. Your eyes seemed to shine brighter when your emotions reached their peak.

"I break him, mentally, physically, and emotionally! Then once he's silly putty, I mold into my image and force him do unspeakable horrible things! Hahaha, don’t you think he'll be despairingly perfect?!” 

It sounded...reasonable in a sick horrible way.

"What a twisted logic," Izuru murmured. 

Your mood stabilized, now calm and composed after you were done being hysterical. “Logic, huh? I guess you could say that. However, I see it more like...sibling love. Do you even understand love? Or any emotion, actually?" 

Ignoring your jab question, Izuru briefly mused in his mind how villainous you became. The process of spreading despair captured his attention and even the consequences were equally entertaining. 

' _So despair and Junko Enoshima's influence, twisted her love and dedication towards her brother into something so ugly. A poisonous and all-consuming love, huh?' I_ zuru mused. _'Interesting.'_

He observed your expression changing subtly. It was a boring conclusion and getting to that said conclusion was even more of a chore. Even before you opened your mouth, Izuru knew from the beginning what your answer was. That terrible joyful grin on your face, the red eyes filled with despair was enough of an answer even before you spoke.

"Let's start the game, then." 

**Author's Note:**

> https://erinin.tumblr.com/


End file.
